Machine learning model for predicting the cold-heat pattern in Kampo medicine: a multicenter prospective observational study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to predict the four cold-heat patterns in patients who have the subjective symptoms of the cold-heat pattern described in the International Classification of Diseases Traditional Medicine Conditions - Module 1 by applying a machine learning algorithm.

Methods: Subjects were first-visit Kampo outpatients at six institutions who agreed to participate in this multicenter prospective observational study. The cold pattern model and the heat pattern model were created separately with 148 symptoms, body mass index, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), age, and sex.

A pharmacovigilance study on clinical factors of active vitamin D analog-related acute kidney injury using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report Database.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) due to vitamin D therapy for osteoporosis is encountered in clinical practice, but epidemiological studies are scarce. We aimed to determine the association between AKI and vitamin D therapy and to identify risk factors for AKI using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database. We used reporting odds ratios (RORs) to detect signals and evaluate risk factors using multiple logistic regression analysis.

Acupuncture Topics on Twitter (Currently X) in English and Japanese: Co-occurrence Network Analysis.

Background With the growth of social media, there has been an increase in health-related studies utilizing data obtained from such sites and applications. Although acupuncture is used as a complementary alternative medicine worldwide, there is little research on acupuncture utilizing social media data. This study investigates the topics related to acupuncture on Twitter, currently known as X, in English and Japanese.

Effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and their combination on albuminuria in diabetic patients.

Aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease. Albuminuria is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-Is) and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) protect against albuminuria; however, their combined effects on albuminuria are unclear.

The Use of Information and Communication Technology-Based Self-management System DialBeticsLite in Treating Abdominal Obesity in Japanese Office Workers: Prospective Single-Arm Pilot Intervention Study.

Background: Making lifestyle changes is an essential element of abdominal obesity (AO) reduction. To support lifestyle modification and self-management, we developed an information and communication technology-based self-management system-DialBeticsLite-with a fully automated dietary evaluation function for the treatment of AO.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of DialBeticsLite among Japanese office workers with AO.

Cardiovascular and kidney outcomes of combination therapy with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Aims: Both sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) have been shown to reduce cardiovascular (CV) event in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, little evidence pertains to the benefits of their combined use.

Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases through July 2022.

Comparative Efficacy of Pharmacological Treatments for Adults With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Tolvaptan is the gold standard treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), while several other drugs have the potential to inhibit the progression of ADPKD. However, individual clinical trials may not show sufficient differences in clinical efficacy due to small sample sizes. Furthermore, the differences in therapeutic efficacy among drugs are unclear.

Japanese traditional Kampo medicine bofutsushosan improves body mass index in participants with obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The number of people with obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide. Since obesity is a critical risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and mortality, the management of obesity is an urgent issue. However, anti-obesity drugs are insufficient in current clinical settings.

Deficiency of the kidney tubular angiotensin II type1 receptor-associated protein ATRAP exacerbates streptozotocin-induced diabetic glomerular injury via reducing protective macrophage polarization.

Although activation of the renin-angiotensin system and of its glomerular components is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, the functional roles of the tubular renin-angiotensin system with AT1 receptor signaling in diabetic nephropathy are unclear. Tissue hyperactivity of the renin-angiotensin system is inhibited by the angiotensin II type 1 receptor-associated protein ATRAP, which negatively regulates receptor signaling. The highest expression of endogenous ATRAP occurs in the kidney, where it is mainly expressed by tubules but rarely in glomeruli.

Aristolochic Acid Induces Renal Fibrosis and Senescence in Mice.

The kidney is one of the most susceptible organs to age-related impairments. Generally, renal aging is accompanied by renal fibrosis, which is the final common pathway of chronic kidney diseases. Aristolochic acid (AA), a nephrotoxic agent, causes AA nephropathy (AAN), which is characterized by progressive renal fibrosis and functional decline.

Case Report: Kampo Medicine for Non-tuberculous Mycobacterium Pulmonary Disease.

While the number of pulmonary tuberculosis cases has decreased, increase in non-tuberculous mycobacterium pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is a global problem. Guideline-based therapy for NTM-PD sometimes causes complications that prevent treatment completion, and there are many cases of relapse even if the treatment can be completed. In addition to antibacterial treatment, care of host risk factors, such as aging, lean physique and immunosuppressive state, is also very important for the management of NTM-PD.

Comparison of effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists on cardiovascular and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with/without albuminuria: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Aims: It remains unclear which sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are most effective for preventing cardiovascular and renal events in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, depending on the presence of albuminuria. We conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of these two drug classes in T2DM patients with/without albuminuria.

Methods: We searched the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases, and gray literature up to April 20, 2021.

Effects of Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents on Blood Pressure in Patients with Non-Dialysis CKD and Renal Anemia.

Introduction: Erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) are used to treat renal anemia in patients with non-dialysis CKD, but this can lead to increases in blood pressure (BP).

Objective: We investigated the effects of continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) and darbepoetin alfa (DA) on office/ambulatory BP in 36 patients with non-dialysis CKD and renal anemia who did not receive ESA treatment.

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to CERA or DA, and received ESA treatment for 24 weeks.

Effects of Rikkunshito treatment on renal fibrosis/inflammation and body weight reduction in a unilateral ureteral obstruction model in mice.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses to end-stage renal failure via renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Malnutrition, inflammation, and arteriosclerosis interact to exacerbate the poor prognosis of CKD, and their effective management is thus essential. The traditional Japanese medicine Rikkunshito (RKT) exerts appetite-stimulating effects via ghrelin, which attenuates inflammation and fibrosis.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-associated protein deficiency attenuates sirtuin1 expression in an immortalised human renal proximal tubule cell line.

The proximal tubule is a particularly important site for ageing-related kidney damage. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)-dependent deacetylase in the proximal tubule, may be involved in renal injury associated with ageing. However, the mechanisms of SIRT1 regulation remain to be elucidated.

Effects of rikkunshito on renal fibrosis and inflammation in angiotensin II-infused mice.

The underlying pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease involves an activated renin-angiotensin system and systemic inflammation which ultimately develop renal injury. Rikkunshito (RKT) has been reported to exert anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects through enhancement of ghrelin signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated the effects of RKT on renal fibrosis and inflammation in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced renal injury model.

Effects of ATRAP in Renal Proximal Tubules on Angiotensin-Dependent Hypertension.

Background We have previously shown that ATRAP (angiotensin II receptor-associated protein; Agtrap) interacts with AT1R (angiotensin II type 1 receptor) and promotes constitutive internalization of AT 1R so as to inhibit hyperactivation of its downstream signaling. In response to angiotensin II , systemic ATRAP deficiency exacerbates angiotensin II -mediated hypertension via hyperactivation of renal tubular AT 1R. Although ATRAP expression is abundant in renal proximal tubules, little is known about the actual function of renal proximal tubule ATRAP in angiotensin-mediated hypertension.

Early Enhanced Leucine-Rich -2-Glycoprotein-1 Expression in Glomerular Endothelial Cells of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy Model Mice.

Abnormal angiogenesis plays a major role in the development of early stage diabetic nephropathy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a classical proangiogenic factor that regulates abnormal glomerular angiogenesis linked to glomerular hypertrophy in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy. Leucine-rich -2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1) was recently reported as a novel proangiogenic factor that is expressed in endothelial cells and promotes angiogenesis by modulating the transforming growth factor- signaling pathway.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor-associated Protein Inhibits Angiotensin II-induced Insulin Resistance with Suppression of Oxidative Stress in Skeletal Muscle Tissue.

Enhancement of AT1 receptor-associated protein (ATRAP) in adipose tissue improves high fat diet (HFD)-induced visceral obesity and insulin resistance, and suppresses adipose oxidative stress. However, HFD loading is not a direct stimulatory factor for AT1 receptor. In the present study, we investigated the effect of chronic, low-dose angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulation on glucose and lipid metabolism in mice and functional role of ATRAP.

Angiotensin receptor-binding molecule in leukocytes in association with the systemic and leukocyte inflammatory profile.

Background And Aims: The components of the renin-angiotensin system in leukocytes is involved in the pathophysiology of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R)-associated protein (ATRAP) is an AT1R-specific binding protein, and is able to inhibit the pathological activation of AT1R signaling in certain animal models of NCDs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and regulation of ATRAP in leukocytes.